We hope you enjoy our list of online resources and activities for children. Read Dr. Danial’s blog on How do I keep my child busy while social distancing for much more information to help you through this time!
Physical Activities
Inside Activities
- Wall pushes (Have your child place their hands flat on the wall, and then push as hard as they can!).
- Create an obstacle course (ex. Jump over the pillow, crawl to the couch, walk backwards to chair, etc.).
- Have a pillow fight!
- Do some child-yoga.
- Simon Says
- Have a dance party
- Play freeze dance
- Musical chairs
- Play Charades
- Play with balloons: How long can you keep it in the air? Do a relay. Lots of possibilities!
Outside Activities
- Take a sensory walk (Count how many different sounds, colors, etc. you can name).
- Go on a scavenger hunt walk (before you go, assign point values for different things you might see. For example, a bird can be 1 point, an airplane can be 3 points, a garbage truck can be 10 points etc.). How many points will you get?
- Ride a bike or skateboard
- Participate in community events. I’ve heard families are doing things such as putting teddy bears on window sills, writing positive notes on driveways, for others to see on their walks.
- Let the kids run around in the backyard.
- Go on a hike.
- Create a hopscotch course with sidewalk chalk.
- Do some gardening
- Play freeze tag
Online Resources for Movement at Home
- Inside movement activities. Yoga, relaxation stretches, etc. www.gonoodle.com
- Cosmic Kids Yoga. https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga
- Zumba Kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiRpnDeAOlI
- Learn cool dance moves. www.watch.lesmillsondemand.com
- 25 Indoor Movement Activities. https://mommypoppins.com/newyorkcitykids/25-exercise-games-indoor-activities-for-kids
- Home Workouts for Kids. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHVR2FnTpdk
- 15 min Kids Workout. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_A_HjHZxfI
Mentally Stimulating Activities
Educational Activities
- Spend 30-60 minutes of reading per day
- Practice math/reading/etc.
- Have your child choose a topic each week to research and teach to the family
- Do a science experiment (lots of links in the “Science” section below).
- Write a story
- Use engaging websites/games to encourage learning (see below)
Other Mentally Stimulating Activities
- Cook and bake together
- Practice a new hobby (instrument, crafts, etc.)
- Learn to make paper airplanes
- Build something (fort, Lego, puzzles, etc.)
- Create a comic book
- Paint something
- Have fun with sidewalk chalk
- Do a puppet show
- Build a car out of cardboard boxes
- Learn how to code
- Practice a new language
- Create a scavenger hunt
- Family game night
- Create a story together. Each day, all of you can take turns adding a sentence or two to the story. See how it turns out at the end of the week.
Online Resources for Mentally Stimulating Activities
MATH
- Fun Brain- Can browse by grade www.funbrain.com
- Prodigy www.prodigygame.com
- Math Playground www.mathplayground.com
- Splash Learn www.splashlearn.com
- Math Game Time www.mathgametime.com
- Khan Academy www.khanacademy.org
SOCIAL SCIENCES
- Crash Course (You Tube) https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
- Who Was? App/Site http://www.whowasbookseries.com/who-was/
- Nat Geo Kids www.kids.nationalgeographic.com
- Google Earth www.google.com/earth/
- Time for Kids www.timeforkids.com
- Smithsonian for Kids www.si.edu/kids
SCIENCE
- Discovery Mindblown www.discoverymindblown.com
- NASA Kids Club www.nasa.gov/kidsclub
- Amazing Space https://amazing-space.stsci.edu/
- Code Academy www.codeacademy.com
- How Stuff Works www.howstuffworks.com
- Science Sparks (free science experiments) www.science-sparks.com
OTHER
- Ted ED/ Ted Talks www.ed.ted.com
- Brain Pop www.brainpop.com
- Quizlet www.quizlet.com
- PBS Learning Media www.pbslearningmedia.org
- PBS Kids (drawing) www.pbskids.org/games/coloring/
- Hello Kids (drawing) www.hellokids.com
- Duolingo (learning a language) www.duolingo.com
- Puppet Master app (animate drawings, creatures, anything) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/puppetmaster/id438080891
- Daily Art Class. http://kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems
- America’s Test Kitchen for Kids (learn new recipes). https://www.americastestkitchen.com/kids/home
Emotion-based Activities
- Create a “feelings wheel” with a different emotion on each wedge of the wheel. Take turns ‘spinning’ the wheel and sharing a time you felt the emotion the wheel falls on.
- Create a worry stone out of clay. The concept is that the stone is powerful enough to “hold” your child’s worries, and thus, gives them permission to let the worries go, at least temporarily. The stone can be a valuable tool in helping children overcome their worries.
- Encourage daily journaling.
- Engage in mindfulness activities
- Make a beaded necklace with colored beads indicating different emotions
- Encourage a time to “draw how you are feeling.”
- Draw how you imagine your future (1 month, 1 year, 10 years).
Online Resources for Emotion-based Activities
- Different therapeutic pictures and handouts. www.therapistaid.com
- Journaling writing prompts. www.journalbuddies.com
- 100 Art Therapy Activities to Do at Home https://intuitivecreativity.typepad.com/expressiveartinspirations/100-art-therapy-exercises.html
- Mindfulness activities for kids. https://positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-for-children-kids-activities/
Social Activities
- Coordinate a couple times per week with other parents to set up a Facetime session with your child and some peers.
- Do a FaceTime scavenger hunt
- Consider going “old school,” and setting up a pen-pal type exchange with a friend. They can take turns making each other drawings, asking/answering each other’s questions, etc.
- Encourage reaching out to peers who may be less likely to receive a message during this time. Especially if your child is more popular or socially outgoing, you can encourage them to send a message or call a peer from school who may be feeling more lonely during this time.
- Help your child engage socially on a bigger scale. This can mean helping an elderly neighbor, setting up supplies to donate, creating a care package for healthcare workers, etc.
Online Resources for Social Activities
- Live Art Class with Mo Willems (10am PST). http://kennedy-center.org/education/mo-willems
- Live classes with other kids from home. www.outschool.com
- Facebook Live Concerts with “Mr. Michael.” www.facebook.com/groups/239194553879684
- Follow parenting blogs like “Fun with Kids” –full of great ideas and live classes https://www.facebook.com/groups/Funthingstodowithkidsinla/
Dr. Novak is the group practice owner and licensed psychologist at Simi Psychological Group a therapy practice in Simi Valley, California. Simi Psychological Group offers a variety of services including trauma therapy, couples therapy, anxiety therapy, teen therapy, and more. Simi Psychological Group emphasizes the importance of creating real change by making sure to get to the root of your struggles.